


Reasons

by chacusha



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-03-17 19:44:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18971797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chacusha/pseuds/chacusha
Summary: Five reasons Naminé became interested in Riku. Some minor Kingdom Hearts 3 spoilers.





	Reasons

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Fluff Bingo (2019 Q2). I was given the prompt of Reasons with Riku & Naminé or Riku / Naminé, so I came up with this. It can be read platonically or romantically.

(i) not a stranger

Naminé didn't know him. Not really. It was his copy that she knew, a copy that was purposely made to be not quite the same as Riku -- implanted with fake memories, told that he was just a copy. Still, because she knew the copy, meeting Riku felt familiar. Their personalities resembled each other's -- a certain kind of confidence, stubbornness, loyalty... and driven by a fear, although the fear came from different places.

And she knew him through Sora's memories. She had seen all the memories: racing along the beach, the jokes and teasing, the building of the raft. Was it odd to feel he was more than a stranger to her -- more like a friend of a friend?

 

(ii) not friends

Riku didn't know her. Not really. He had never made a promise to her, either real or imagined. It was simply that, unlike the others, he remembered her Somebody, and saw the resemblance.

But Riku _remembered_ her.

Through her witchcraft, she had made her first two "friends" -- but both were gone now. Neither the replica nor his memories were in the world any longer, gone back to wherever it is that hearts come from. And Sora was sleeping and would forget about her when he woke up. The fantasy she had created in memories -- playing on an island with Sora and Riku and Kairi -- was now her private secret, shared with no one.

But Riku remembered her -- real memories being created in the present, not fake memories of the past. Whenever he left on a mission, Naminé prayed nothing would go amiss. She had the vague worry that something might happen that would necessitate reconstructing Riku's memories too, although such a scenario was admittedly far-fetched. But she didn't know if she could bear being forgotten by one of the few people who knew her -- the real her.

 

(iii) not somebody

Riku and DiZ got along well, at least for the time being, when their goals were aligned. Neither of them had qualms about doing what needed to be done to accomplish their goals. For Riku, that goal was to see Sora wake up and for DiZ... well, his ends were less clear, but his immediate goal was the same as Riku's, for now.

That cold determination that Riku and DiZ shared could be frightening sometimes. Even though it was never extended to Naminé -- she shared their goals and was, after all, indispensable to accomplishing them -- it nevertheless instilled in her the fear that she and Nobodies like her were ultimately disposable, able to be sacrificed the moment they stepped out of line.

DiZ had never given her any indication that she would be an exception. But sometimes Riku, when they talked, gave her a quick smile. She didn't think he thought the same way as DiZ, but perhaps it was just because of her resemblance to someone he knew...

 

(iv) coworkers / not nobody

Riku's work ethic was something to be admired. He carried out his tasks competently and without complaint. Sora's memories were almost finished. He would wake up soon. Both Naminé and Riku had gone through a lot to make it happen. The silly sleepyhead was completely unaware of just how much.

Now that the finish line was in sight, Riku and Naminé were more relaxed. They had time to chat. Riku, hiding self-consciously in his organization cloak, told her about his adventures with Mickey -- adventures she didn't already have knowledge of through Sora's memories. Sometimes it was Naminé who had to remind Riku of his memories of Destiny Islands -- many of them had disappeared as her reconstruction work continued.

Roxas was getting restless. He would soon become part of Sora, something that was causing him some anxiety. Naminé wanted to help him accept the future that lay before him as one that didn't have to be bad or scary... But was it hypocritical for her to be attached to her current life? Disappearing wouldn't be bad, she told herself. She would still be friends with Riku and with Sora, because Kairi was friends with Riku and Sora. But she knew she would miss these conversations with Riku, the camaraderie they shared.

 

(v) reunion / not alone

The sky above Radiant Garden was a brilliant blue. Had Naminé ever been outside -- truly outside? If she had, she didn't remember. Her heart leapt up in her chest when she saw who was her chauffeur, the person who would take her to whatever world she liked.

As they flew through the Lanes Between worlds, Naminé's giggle broke the silence.

"What's funny?" Riku asked.

"I'm just glad I get to see you again."

"Huh? Why?"

Naminé smiled to herself. There were so many reasons. Where to begin?


End file.
